Ketanji Brown Jackson sharply condemns Trump’s attacks on judges

The Supreme Court justice said it was time to address “the elephant in the room": the “threats and harassment” that judges have received from Trump and his allies.

By Josh Gerstein

05/01/2025 09:07 PM EDT

Updated: 05/01/2025 09:31 PM EDT

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson forcefully condemned attacks by President Donald Trump and his allies on judges who have blocked Trump administration policies, warning Thursday that the increasingly hostile rhetoric poses a dire threat to the country’s political fabric.

“The attacks are not random. They seem designed to intimidate those of us who serve in this critical capacity,” Jackson told a judges’ conference in Puerto Rico. “The threats and harassment are attacks on our democracy, on our system of government. And they ultimately risk undermining our Constitution and the rule of law.”

Though she did not mention Trump by name, Jackson said she was addressing “the elephant in the room,” a clear reference to the belligerent language — and calls for impeachment — that Trump and some of his advisers have lobbed at federal judges who rule against his agenda.

Jackson urged her judicial colleagues to show “raw courage” to dispense justice without fear of the results. “I urge you to keep going, keep doing what is right for our country, and I do believe that history will vindicate your service,” the Biden appointee said.

Jackson’s unusually pointed comments received a standing ovation from the judges and lawyers in attendance. Her 18-minute fulmination is the strongest public statement by any member of the Supreme Court since the Trump administration began denouncing judges who have blocked Trump’s policies on immigration, firing government workers, and halting federal grants and contracts.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/01/ketanji-brown-jackson-sharply-condemns-trumps-attacks-on-judges-00323010

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5719932&forum_id=2)#48900705)